Emskyrooney

I just finished sewing up yet another Heidi and Finn pattern- the adorable Chic Cocktail Swing Coat .  I had added this pattern to my Pinterest “ Sewing for Kids ” board more than 2 years ago, before Eliza was born and have been dying to make it ever since…   I made my version with a cotton outer and a fleece lining.   I chose to do a collar instead of a hood mainly because I didn’t have quite enough of the fleece to squeeze out the hood- in fact, I had to make the sleeves a teeny bit narrower in order to fit the patterns on the fabric I had (I pulled from my stash so was trying to work with what I had). Eliza was in my sewing room as I was putting this together and once she figured out that it was a coat for her she wouldn’t stop talking about it until it was finished and she was wearing it.  “Coat!  Coat!  Me, Coat!” she kept yelling.  Fortunately she loves to wear it and has had many compliments on it when we’re out and about. Using th...

Recently I was asked to test a couple of patterns for Heidi and Finn - the Tulip Tunic and Dress and the Pintuck Blouse and Dress .  First up was the Tulip Tunic and Dress which is for knit fabrics.  This is the 18 month size.  I made the tunic in a green with sparkly dots with dark grey at the neckline and as an appliqued heart.   I've used this material several times and still have some left- in fact I tested the Heidi and Finn Slouchy Cardigan with that fabric- Eliza was so tiny then!!  The tunic is adorable!   In the photo below the sleeves are folded to the inside as they ended up a bit long- I think Eliza must have short arms as I always have to shorten the sleeves to the next smaller size. Next I made the dress version in the 18 month size.   I used a polka dot knit (also seen previously ) for the sleeves and top portion, a slub knit from an old t-shirt for the dress part and the same dark grey ribbed knit for the n...

Once again I was lucky enough to be chosen to test a new pattern by Heidi and Finn - this time it was a test of their soon to be released “Wonderland” dress pattern.  The pattern is adorable (of course) and went together very quickly.   I thought maybe the neckline would be a little tricky and while I did have to pick out a few stitches and redo a couple inches it was much easier than I expected.  The dress ended up being just the right length for Eliza- she can crawl around in it without getting her legs tangled since she’s not quite walking on her own yet. I also made Eliza a little pair of leggings out of an old, holey cashmere sweater I had in my “clothing to sew with” stash.   I used the arms of the sweater and a pair of her leggings as the pattern and sewed them up in about 5 minutes.  So easy and so cute and comfy!  Granted, cream colored cashmere leggings are not the most practical choice for a crawling girl but I’ll definitely be hunti...

Recently I was chosen to test Heidi and Finn’s newest clothing pattern- the Slouchy Cardigan.  I’ve purchased and sewed several of their patterns (the Urban Unisex Hoodie is a fave!), and loved them so I was very excited to be able to try the newest pattern before its official debut. This pattern goes together so quickly!  It took me about 20 minutes to cut out the fabric (I squeeze in the time by cutting at the kitchen counter while the kids play or eat lunch).  I spent just under an hour sewing it together on my serger- and I probably could have done it in 45 minutes except I had a little trouble with one cuff and had to remove it halfway and start over.  The cuffs were the trickiest part- especially on the 12 month size which has such small openings!  It took a little finagling but I figured out the right technique pretty quickly and the pattern directions show in very clear pictures the best way to attach them.  You can choose your own si...